The Wait for Water is Over- Berendo is Blooming!

This month at Berendo Middle School, the students learned about the soil pie chart, producers & consumers, climates & seasons, and parts of plants. This was these students first exposure to the garden so there was lots to learn! With the construction going on, the water had been turned off for a couple weeks so the students practiced patience in watching their seeds grow. This month we planted spinach, broccoli, lettuces, carrots, onions, basil, beans, flowers, and peas… and are finally seeing some new sprouts!
For the first lesson, we discussed the soil pie chart and learned that loam is the best type of soil to have in the garden. We did the soil jar test to watch how sand, silt, and clay settle.
In our second lesson we discussed ecological organization, producers & consumers, and food chains. We learned about individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems. We looked deeper into these systems to identify producers and consumers such as autotrophs (plants), heterotrophs (primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers and apex predators), and decomposers. We played a game of creating our own food chains by lining up and playing the parts of the sun through to the decomposers.

chayote squash, chayote seeds, and little bugs!
In our third lesson we learned about climates and seasons. We discussed how the Earth rotates on its’ axis around the sun which causes the seasons and how certain crops are best grown in certain seasons. We taste tested some seasonal veggies: spinach, kale, and Swiss chard!

tomatoes and beans harvested from the garden!
This week, we learned about the parts of plants- from the importance of roots absorbing water and minerals, to leaves absorbing sunlight and carbon dioxide, to the flowers helping with the reproduction of the plants. We looked at mystery seeds to try to figure out what type of plant they would become along with how the seeds might transport themselves to be planted somewhere else.
Beans are good for your Heart
By Lisa Friedman York |
‘Digester’ laziest way to feed soil!
By Tahereh Sheerazie |
TIOH Student Get Down and DIRTy
By Seema Sundaresh |
Gardner Artists and Observers
By Seema Sundaresh |
Rain Gain at Arroyo Seco
By Seema Sundaresh |
A Moment of Zen Aromatherapy at Mt. Washington Elementary School
By Lisa Friedman York |
Let’s Talk Dirt @ Micheltorena
By Alex Arciniega |
Calvert 3rd Graders Strengthen Their Research Skills
By Nicole Hernandez |
Herbs Herbs Herbs and Spices with Mayberry 1st Graders
By Nicole Hernandez |
The Three Sisters and a Winter Salad.
By Nicole Hernandez |
Freshening Angeles Mesa Elementary
We have been super excited and entertained during our first Unit at Angeles Mesa. Kids from Pre-K, K and 5th grade have enjoyed learning and interacting with plants and garden. EnrichLA resumed activities at Angeles Mesa in the middle of November, bumping into a few days-off due to Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and then the strike,…
Getting organized at Taking the Reins
“How do we know when to harvest?” aaaah…. a hunch? a feel? it smells right? fruit’s the right size? Why don’t we make a harvest calendar! Pulling out the trusty UC Master Gardener Handbook and looking up the approximate harvest time for each of our plants. The girls are attentive! Also, though it is…
A world beneath our feet… ALC students dig it up
“Eeeeeewwwwwwwwww!” said ALC student. “What did I do?” said squirmy worm exposed to the sunlight. “Worms are amazing. Here, grab one and I’ll tell you about what they do” said Garden Ranger. “Their poop is really good for the plants and they create air pockets for roots. Worms are legit.” said other ALC student. ”…
Sprouts for the Sprouts at Mid-City’s Prescott
The 1st and 2nd graders of Mid-City’s Prescott School of Enriched Sciences (the sprouts, the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders are the seedlings…) watched these radish babies grow from seed to seedling and last week we discovered why root vegetables sometimes grow hugging each other…like these carrots… Once roots start to grow and grow under…
Stewardship at Taking the Reins
Every Sunday I teach at Taking the Reins, a non-profit dedicated to building their four core concepts: responsibility, confidence, teamwork and leadership to teen girls in LA. Last Sunday, our main lesson was on garden troubleshooting and land stewardship where we made a list of things to do when you walk into the garden: watch…
Growing in the City…
Between Westlake (McArthur Park) and Downtown LA you’ll find Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, a high school made up of several ‘sub’ schools. One of them, the Academic Leadership Community or simply ALC. The after school garden group meets every Tuesday from 1:30-3PM in a small but oh so mighty garden overlooking downtown. From day one,…
The Wait for Water is Over- Berendo is Blooming!
This month at Berendo Middle School, the students learned about the soil pie chart, producers & consumers, climates & seasons, and parts of plants. This was these students first exposure to the garden so there was lots to learn! With the construction going on, the water had been turned off for a couple weeks so…
Ladybugs, Seeds, & Weeds at 2nd Street!
This month, the students at 2nd Street Elementary learned about dirt, friends & foes, seasons, and parts of plants. This was these students’ first exposure to the garden class so we were starting from ground zero- very exciting! For the “Let’s Talk Dirt” lesson, the students got their hands dirty touching some wet clay soil…
Friends and Foes – Insects at Micheltorena
If you know me, you know I love working the soil. When I first started gardening, I was so naive about what makes a successful garden. I thought, “oh it must be the seeds!” As time goes on, I realize so much of the wonder of a productive garden comes from the soil. And so…
New System for School Food Waste Composting at Micheltorena
We rolled out our first day of food collecting during lunch time at Micheltorena. Equipped with a bucket and a compost sign. I set it up at the lunch area. I had lunch with the kids and wanted to see what they were eating and what they were throwing away. The kids who have…